Discussion Assignment
Based on the concept of epigenetics introduced in Unit 1, "Health Factors and their Impacts" (http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-nutrition/s05-04-health-factors-and-their-impac.html) and the assigned reading in the Learning Journal task, “High Folic Acid Intake during Pregnancy Lowers Body Weight and Reduces Femoral Area and Strength in Female Rat Offspring”, your assignment is to find ONE other nutrient – you CANNOT choose folate – that can alter which genes are expressed without changing the DNA sequence. As with all tasks, you must support your answers with examples. One of your references must be an original research article, and it may be from a study that uses pregnant human or pregnant animal subjects. Be sure to use APA format for all citations.
Questions:
1) In 3-5 sentences, briefly summarize the original research article you used as a reference to support the choice of your nutrient that when consumed during pregnancy results in offspring that express different genes compared to when that nutrient is not consumed during pregnancy. Be sure to include the main results and the significance of the work done (why is it important).
2) Is the nutrient you chose found in food sources that are commonly eaten by people living in your country or community? If it is, do women avoid eating it during pregnancy? If it is not common in your country or community, discuss if you think it is still important to educate pregnant women about this nutrient.
3) Referring to your experiences from your own culture, do you know of any food items or nutrients that pregnant women are advised to AVOID and not eat during pregnancy? Please also discuss some of the consequences of pregnant women eating those food items.
1) In 3-5 sentences, briefly summarize the original research article you used as a reference to support the choice of your nutrient that, when consumed during pregnancy, results in offspring that express different genes compared to when that nutrient is not consumed during pregnancy. Be sure to include the main results and the significance of the work done (why is it important).
Zinc is contained in more than 300 enzymes that act in the body and is involved in many biological reactions, such as gene expression, cell division, and nucleic acid metabolism. The fetus undergoes cell division every day, and it is known that zinc promotes this cell division. If the mother's body lacks zinc, normal cell division is inhibited, and the fetus may be born short in stature and weight. In converse, maternal zinc supplementation during pregnancy helps prevent premature birth. Studies in various mammals have shown that severe maternal zinc deficiency causes malformations and congenital disabilities in fetal organs such as the heart, lungs, brain, urogenital and skeletal systems and increases the rate of miscarriage. (Chaffee & King, 2012). However, one study estimated that 82% of pregnant women worldwide are deficient in zinc, which is of great concern (Chaffee & King, 2012).
2) Is the nutrient you chose found in food sources that are commonly eaten by people living in your country or community? If it is, do women avoid eating it during pregnancy? If it is not common in your country or community, discuss if you think it is still important to educate pregnant women about this nutrient.
Zinc is abundantly contained in seafood such as shellfish, seaweed, and also nuts and green tea, etc. (Healthdirect Australia, 2021). These foods have been eaten frequently in Japan culturally for a long time, so there is generally no shortage of zinc, but it is important to consume them consciously during pregnancy. Especially in recent years, many women have preferred skinny looks, and it has been pointed out that they may not get enough nutrients, especially zinc. It is essential to educate pregnant women to get the zinc they need through a balanced, healthy diet and zinc supplements.
3) Referring to your experiences from your own culture, do you know of any food items or nutrients that pregnant women are advised to AVOID and not eat during pregnancy? Please also discuss some of the consequences of pregnant women eating those food items.
Iodine is necessary for the body to synthesize thyroid hormones and for normal bone and brain development in fetuses and infants. However, taking too much iodine can cause thyroid hypertrophy and thyroid cancer, and the baby can be at risk of developing congenital hypothyroidism (Pearce et al., 2016). Iodine is abundantly contained in seaweed such as wakame and kelp. Japanese people eat very frequently those seaweeds culturally. Therefore, avoiding eating much of these seaweeds during pregnancy is recommended.
References
Chaffee, B. W., & King, J. C. (2012). Effect of zinc supplementation on pregnancy and infant outcomes: a systematic review. Pediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 26 Suppl 1(0 1), 118-137. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787719/
Healthdirect Australia. (2021). Foods high in zinc. healthdirect. Retrieved from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/foods-high-in-zinc
Pearce, E. N., Lazarus, J. H., Moreno-Reyes, R., & Zimmermann, M. B. (2016). Consequences of iodine deficiency and excess in pregnant women: an overview of current knowns and unknowns. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 104 Suppl 3(Suppl 3), 918S–23S. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.115.110429
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